Photo Credit: Dan Brodie
The Minnesota Swarm traded for Mike Grimes who was under contract with the Vancouver Stealth. The Swarm gave up both Dane Stevens and Tyler Hass, while getting Grimes and a third round pick in the 2016 draft.
Acquiring Grimes gives the Swarm a veteran leader on the back line. As an eight-year veteran of the NLL, Grimes has played in 115 games over those eight years. Grimes spent time with the now defunct Arizona Sting and the Edmonton Rush and has spent the last six years in a Stealth uniform.
The Swarm are getting in Grimes a tough defender and a guy that has lead the NLL in scoring as a defenseman. Grimes, in 2014, had 22 points (5 G,17 A) which will help the Swarm in the upcoming season more than most things, seeing as the Swarm only scored 180 goals last season.
Grimes also adds help in the ground ball department—he had 96 pickups last season and has notched 624 in his 115 games. Grimes adds an aspect to a D-line that now has a transition push. This will also add to help with the shrinking transition core that propelled the Swarm to the Conference Finals in 2013.
Grimes is a tremendous pick up who will definitely be in the opening night line-up and could very well be wearing a letter on his chest as well. Mike Grimes is probably the second best move the Swarm have made this offseason, to this point, other than adding Brodie MacDonald to take over in net.
